Pruning a tree can literally save its life. When a tree is diseased or damaged, then removing the damaged limb means valuable nutrients are not being wasted trying to keep that portion of the tree alive. As a new homeowner whose property has a lot of trees on it, you want to know more about pruning trees. In particular, if there is a specific time of the year when you should hire an arborist to come out and prune your trees for you. Different times of the year achieve different results, so consider what happens during the four seasons of tree pruning.

Autumn

Autumn is a time of slowing growth for your trees. Because of this slowdown, it is not a great idea to prune a tree now unless critically necessary to do so. An example of when autumn pruning is a good idea is if your tree was damaged during the violent summer storms which Australia sees. A tree branch which has been struck by lightning, for example, and which shows signs of dying and decay should be removed so that it does not break away and become a flying projectile during autumn storms.

Winter

The end of winter is a great time to prune a tree which you want to grow during spring. Once the tree is pruned, the natural spring growth means a tree can flourish during this time. If the tree has any disease or rot occurring, then you can chop this away before your tree tries to spring into life.

Spring

The beginning of spring is another great time to prune your trees to encourage growth. When you prune away areas of the tree where there is too much growth, the tree then has a chance to divert energy and growth to the parts of the tree which are sparse and need to fill out. Removing tree branches from areas where they have grown haphazardly also means your tree has a chance to spring into life in better natural shape.

Summer

You should not prune a tree during summer unless there is an area where you want to stop it from growing—for example, if part of the tree is growing faster than the rest of the tree. Otherwise, leave your tree alone during summer so that you don't inadvertently stop it from growing altogether.

A tree service can help you design a tree pruning plan which helps the health of your tree no matter what the season. Get in touch with a local arborist to learn more.

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